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Food growing · Scale up and integrate · food-25Run an annual garden review
Once a year, review soil, yields, water use and pest records and update the plan. This is how a garden becomes more productive and less work over time.
How
- Retest the soil, as Clemson advises yearly, and protected structures in particular: SARE warns that tunnel soils can build up salts and rise in pH without rain to leach them.
- Compare actual water use with your budget and adjust bed area, mulching or crop choice if you are over.
- Review yield and pest records; drop crops that failed twice and expand those that did well.
- Move each crop family on to its next bed in the rotation.
- Replace worn drip parts, filters and tunnel film before the season starts.
- Update your food goal (food-1) and decide whether to expand to the next stage.
Sources
- Soil Testing. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center, accessed 2026-11
- High Tunnels and Other Season Extension Techniques: An Overview. SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), accessed 2026-11
- Principles for High Functioning Soils. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, accessed 2026-11